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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23514112">Not As It Seems XXVI</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel'>eliniel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wondrous Tails 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Poison, Stitches</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:22:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23514112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Warrior of Light is injured by a Hunt target in Lakeland, Emet-Selch is forced to save her life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wondrous Tails 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686646</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Not As It Seems XXVI</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this one is pretty intense, but I'm also pretty proud of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!</p><p>Wondrous Tails prompts: patching up wounds &amp; cuddling</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I stumbled into my inn room in the Crystarium, my hand pressed against my side as the wound continued to bleed, staining my shirt a deep red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With an unsteady breath, I fell onto the door with my arm to close it, then, with a pained grunt, pushed myself off of the wood to find somewhere to sit. As I walked, I unbuckled the belt at my waist with my free, shaking hand, letting it fall to the ground, my rapier clattering on the tile floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had been a complete and utter </span>
  <em>
    <span>fool</span>
  </em>
  <span> for trying to take on the manner of beast I had discovered in Lakeland. I’d seen it before- it’s likeness posted on the Hunt Boards, plant-like in nature with sharp teeth and vine-like talons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, it had wounded me so badly that I’d had to flee- slipping back into the city without the Scions or the Exarch discovering me in the pathetic state I was in. Pretending to be the picture of perfect health as I approached Lyna at the gates had been pure </span>
  <em>
    <span>agony</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, they didn’t need to see me like this. And I’d patched myself up </span>
  <em>
    <span>plenty</span>
  </em>
  <span> of times when a healer had not been available.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I released a breath and slowly made my way to the dining table, feet dragging as I walked, the edges of my vision blurring as my head began to swim. I put more pressure onto the gash as I inched a chair out, knees trembling so hard I didn’t think I’d make it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, I slumped down into the seat, my breathing heavy and irregular as I tried to calm my body down. I leaned onto one of the arms and removed my hand from my side, water stinging my eyes as I separated my palm from the skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I needed to get it cleaned and-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A whimper escaped me at the sight, my stomach threatening to expel anything left inside of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My hand was covered in sticky, dark red blood. The beast’s talons had torn through the material of my shirt and left behind three deep gashes, the mangled skin around it turning black as if-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Necrosis. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Poison</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I surmised. It had attacked me with poison. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now, it was likely in my bloodstream and moving quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gods</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no way in all seven hells that my meager healing spell could handle </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why hadn’t I just bit the bullet and gone to the infirmary, my friends be damned? Why was I so damned stubborn?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, with little strength left to move…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> make it across the Crystarium again in this state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My head fell back against the chair and I closed my eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Here lies the great Warrior of Light, killed by her own stupidity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the door to the bathing room opened and I jumped in surprise, my heart leaping up my throat and eyes flying open again. Pain shot up my side and down my arm and I clenched my jaw to stifle a cry as I felt a layer of sweat break out over my brow. I sucked in a desperate breath at the agony coursing through my body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back already, hero?” Emet-Selch’s voice drawled as he stepped back into the room. “I truly did not expect to see you until...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused as he took me in, smirk fading from his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he recovered from his shock, he rushed over to me, leaning down to grip the wrist that still hovered over my wound. I tried to jerk it out of his hand, but he held fast, tightening his hold. He inspected the quality of the blood drying on my palm before slowly bending my arm out of the way. His eyes widened as he examined the marks and he sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes shot to mine, irritation flaring in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zodiark’s name</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened?” his hissed, laying my hand on the arm of the chair before kneeling in front of me to take a closer look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got-” I cried out in pain as he peeled the soiled fabric from my skin, lifting it so he could see the cuts clearly. “I got hit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he growled, tearing what was leftover of my shirt and pulling it from my body, then placed his hands on either side of them. I shuddered, swallowing a gasp, his fingers cold on my burning skin. “I can see that. Why didn’t you go straight to the infirmary?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see that, too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span> attacked you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plant-based-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toxic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded, cringing as he pressed down, trying to hold me still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, he sighed, removing his hands from my side and standing once more. He tore the jacket from his shoulders and tossed it onto the table, then went to work removing his gloves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, hero,” he whispered, releasing a deep breath, planting his feet onto the floor as he fell into a stance. “The time for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>true</span>
  </em>
  <span> healer has come and gone, I’m afraid. I’m going to have to extract the poison myself.” His eyes locked with mine, an intense seriousness falling over him. “It’s going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>painful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I took a deep, steadying breath as my bottom lip quivered and I nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you to stay as still as you possibly can. I do not want to have to restrain you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sense of dread filled me, a chill rising up my spine. I swallowed hard and gripped the chair tightly as his eyes slid shut and he raised one hand towards me, palm out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything stilled for a single second as he focused his energies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in the next moment, I was screaming. My back arched against the back of my seat, head knocking loudly against the wood as it flew back. Tears filled my eyes as fire ignited in my veins. I gripped the chair roughly, my fingernails digging into the wood as my entire body shook violently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I could feel it squirming, fighting inside of me, traveling- slowly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so slowly</span>
  </em>
  <span>- as the Ascian began pulling the toxin from the laceration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All my life, all my injuries, all my scars… This was the worst pain I’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> been in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it went on for what felt like an </span>
  <em>
    <span>eternity</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was trying to save me but, surely, I would die from the pain this wrought upon my body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it stopped, I sagged into the chair, my arms limply falling to my sides. I sucked in breath after breath, sweat and tears dripping off of my nose and into my lap as my head drooped forward. My entire body was utterly exhausted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ahead of me, Emet-Selch released a long-held breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weakly, I looked up at him, a ball of black, poisonous sludge floating before him. Sweat was shining on his own forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not finished yet, hero,” he said, waving his hand. The toxins that had just been pulled from my body disappeared. “Just a small break to catch our breath.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes widened, tears welling in my eyes once more as I pressed my back into the chair, shaking my head in panic at the prospect of feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no-,” I stuttered, chin trembling as I tried my best to hold back a sob. “Please, not-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather I let you </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t respond, but continued staring at him, the water spilling over onto my cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt as if I almost prefered death to </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If stupidity and misguided bravery can get you into this mess, Warrior of Light,” he continued, raising his arm once more. “Do us both a favor and try to muster some to get you out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cringed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I closed my eyes, and moved my hands, gripping the seat of the chair as I braced myself, my entire body shaking in fear of what was to come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I nodded, he exhaled steadily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt the pull of his aether once more and I tensed, clenching my jaw. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>excruciating</span>
  </em>
  <span>, though not </span>
  <em>
    <span>as</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad as previously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My head jerked back against the chair again, my nostrils flaring as I inhaled in a sharp breath, trying desperately to hold back the cry that was quickly clawing its way up my throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Brave. Be brave.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> My jaw tightened, teeth grating against each other until I thought they would break. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Twelve preserve me. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Be over soon. Please-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, he released a strained breath and I felt the pain dissipating. I relaxed, a strangled whimper of relief slipping past my lips as I slumped once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he started, heaving heavy breaths. “I believe...I got it all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I heard his footfalls quickly closing the distance between us, but I had no energy to even raise my head and look at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now,” he began, his voice much softer than before. He knelt in front of me to inspect the gashes once more. “Come here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt his hands slip under my ravaged body and he pulled me, still trembling, against his chest as he sat back on the tiled floor. I closed my eyes again, loosing the leftover tears. They freely slid down my face and dripped off my chin as my head fell against his collarbone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright,” he assured me with a sigh, setting me down in his lap. He lifted a hand to my exposed cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb before tucking me under his chin. “The hard part is over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded, burying my face into his shirt, muffling the sobs I had been desperately holding back before. His hand dropped from my head, letting it slide back down to the wound as he craned his neck to see it over me. He snapped his fingers and I heard the sound of running water filter in from the bathing room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s still bleeding quite a bit, hero,”  he said, gently. “I’m going to have to bind it with my aether so we can clean it up and stitch it together. Just like I did with your wrist, remember?” I nodded again and inhaled deeply in anticipation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I tensed as his fingers barely brushed the injury, hands fisting in the material of his shirt. But when I felt the cool, soothing quality of his power laying over me, I sighed, the apprehension leaving me once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmured, the hand he’d used to stop the bleeding slipping under my legs again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he shifted to stand, I opened my eyes again, silently watching as he carried me to my bathtub and slowly dipping me inside. I hissed when the water came in contact with the gashes, though it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be- likely due to the binding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a snap, the rest of my clothes disappeared and he knelt on the floor next to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you going to get in too?” I asked him. One side of his mouth tugged upward and he began rolling up his sleeves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not this time, Warrior of Light,” he chuckled. “I don’t much find the idea of bathing in a tub of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>blood</span>
  </em>
  <span> very enticing.” I breathed a laugh and looked down towards my lap, pulling my legs up and hugging them to my chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My brow furrowed as my side twinged, but his binding held well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached over me for the soap and a clean washcloth. He dipped it in the water to soak it, then lathered it up and held it in front of me to take. I easily lifted it from his hand and twisted slightly to see the area. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes widened at the state of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>nearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> as gruesome looking as it had been just minutes ago. The dying skin was no longer black, though it was still quite red with agitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t scrub too hard,” he instructed and I nodded, using nothing but my index finger beneath the rag to carefully wash around the marks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silence stretched between us as I cleaned myself up, slowly patting the cloth over the wound before wiping down the skin below where the blood had dripped and moving onto my hand. He stood, moving to the cabinet where I kept my towels. When he’d fished one out, he sat on the chair at my vanity, leaning one elbow on the countertop as he waited for me to finish.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky that I just happened to be here, you know,” he said, finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” I sighed. “I thought I’d be able to handle it on my own, like I always have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you simply go to the infirmary?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I pressed my lips together in a thin line as I focused on scrubbing between my fingers, ensuring it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s complicated.” He sat back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think I understand. You didn’t want your friends to see the pitiful state you were in.” I clicked my tongue as I rolled my eyes, dropping my hands back into the water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just how is it that you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> able to see right through me?” He shrugged his shoulders, the beginnings of a smirk appearing on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>old</span>
  </em>
  <span>, hero.” I huffed an exasperated sigh and sat back in the tub, letting the washcloth sink to the bottom as I rested my arms on the porcelain edges. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> took the opportunity to remind me of his age. “You learn to read people, and with remarkable accuracy, it seems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In lieu of a response, I frowned, my eyes dropping to my lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no shame in asking for help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes there is,” I argued, quietly. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he raised a brow, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for me to explain. “As the Warrior of Light...there are certain expectations that I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I very much doubt your companions would pass judgement on you for a moment of idiocy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused for a moment before sighing. He picked the towel up from his lap and stood once more, unfolding it as he made his way back to me. With a small grunt of exertion, I hoisted myself up and he wrapped the towel around my body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>annoyed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Warrior of Light,” he started as he took my hand and held me steady so I could step out of the bath. “Of your lack of self-preservation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were…” I furrowed my brow. “Upset that I don’t take better care of myself?” He huffed a laugh out of his nose before snapping his fingers. A small suture set appeared on the surface of the vanity. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is one way to put it, I suppose.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led me over and carefully pulled the towel from my body, then set me on the stool. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you supposed to...want me dead?” He raised a brow at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I?” I clicked my tongue and he grinned, then nodded his head towards my side. “I’m going to leave the binding,” he started again as he reached for the kit and knelt beside me again. With a nod, I leaned over, resting my arms on the counter so he could see better. “You require quite a few sutures and it will help negate the pain.” He went to work threading the small, curved needle. “Alright, hero. Deep breaths.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he had finished, he wrapped a bandage around the wound and snapped his fingers, dressing me in some of my more comfortable clothes before sweeping me off the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> walk, you know,” I pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am well aware,” he shot back at me as he nudged the bathroom door open with his elbow and walked down the hallway towards my bedroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He perched me on the side of my bed and reached to the nightstand for the book I had been reading aloud, then climbed into bed, pulling me into his lap. I relaxed into him, laying my cheek on his chest. I took the book from his hand and opened it to the bookmark. My eyes scanned the words for a few long moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re too tired, it’s alright,” he murmured, wrapping his arms loosely around me. I breathed a laugh, a smile creeping onto my mouth and I lifted my head to peer up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” I insisted. “It’ll be a great way to wind-down after the day we’ve had.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sat up slightly, pressing a quick kiss to his jawline before settling back into his lap again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And… Thank you, Emet-Selch.” I sighed. “For taking such good care of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a satisfied hum, he nuzzled his nose in the strands of my hair, inhaling deeply as I began to read from where I had left off the night before.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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